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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854751">silly little italian place</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/weekdaygladers/pseuds/weekdaygladers'>weekdaygladers</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Twenty One Pilots</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gay, It's just super cute, M/M, idk what else to put here, keeper and protector au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-29 08:21:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,216</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854751</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/weekdaygladers/pseuds/weekdaygladers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>josh takes tyler in a well deserved date to his favorite italian place</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Josh Dun/Tyler Joseph</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>silly little italian place</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamertyler/gifts">dreamertyler</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i wrote this for my dear friend <br/>dreamertyler based on her au of her book keeper and protector. if you haven't read it you might be really confused, so go read it bc it's amazing</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"how come you've never taken me to this place before?" tyler asks while him and josh get out of the car. it's their date night, one they've planned all week long, and josh basically did all the organizing of it. he never told him where they were going or what they were going to do once they got there.</p><p>the intrigue definitely kept coming back to the keeper every time he saw his boyfriend acting suspicious. now he's standing in front of the restaurant; it's a small establishment, the outside is decorated with plants and vines climbing up the walls, while the inside seems to have an italian vibe to it.</p><p>"i dunno. we've never had time," josh explains when they walk into the small restaurant. it's a very familiar place for him, the smell of the food and ambience feel like home. he can't remember when he discovered this place, but he's glad that he did.</p><p>hanging fairy lights cover the walls and hang overhead the tables, adding more to the atmosphere of closeness. without knowing it's a restaurant, one could think it's someone's home with a few extra dining tables. "it's so pretty."</p><p>a hostess comes up to them with a couple of menus in her arms, "hello. welcome to—... josh? oh my god, we haven't seen you in so long!" she speaks excitedly, like she's seeing an old friend again.</p><p>"i'm aware, isabelle. it's nice to see you again," josh chuckles. he puts his arm around tyler's shoulders to bring him comfort when he notices his keeper appearing a little out of place. "i'd like you to meet my boyfriend. isabelle, this is tyler. tyler, this is my favorite hostess in the whole word: isabelle."</p><p>isabelle takes a good look at tyler before smiling and hugging the menus close to her chest. "you two are so cute! it's nice to meet you, tyler. i hope you're taking good care of josh, he's a very special guy."</p><p>"promise i'm trying my best, but he's a bit rowdy sometimes." the two new acquaintances laugh for a brief moment; josh rolls his eyes and joins the laughter. the hostess guides the couple to their table. tyler guesses it must be josh's usual table since he gets comfortable as soon as he sits down.</p><p>now with the menus in hand, tyler finally decides to ask all of his questions. "this is your secret spot, huh? i've got to admit, it's really romantic."</p><p>with a wink as short first response, josh sets his menu aside and starts to pick at the wooden table with his fingernail. "i think i discovered it a few years ago. i really just stumbled upon it. the food was amazing so i kept coming back as often as i could. it's probably my favorite restaurant in the whole world. i wanted to bring you here before, but you know <em>things</em> came up and... there just wasn't any time for my silly little italian place."</p><p>tyler grabs josh's hand and gives it a squeeze, a reassuring smile to go with it. "i love it. thank you for bringing me here, sweetheart." if josh could capture this moment and keep it alive forever.</p><p>"guess what's the best part? the owners are a keeper and a protector. they've been together for over 3 decades if i'm not wrong. thought it could be an inspirational story."</p><p>imagining being with someone for so long used to be a daunting experience for tyler. that's not the case anymore. he can picture himself being alongside his beloved protector until the end of his days. his time keeper would definitely love that. god... growing old with the protector of his dreams... that's truly the end goal of life. sometimes he still wonders what he did to deserve such an amazing boyfriend.</p><p>a waiter comes up to their table, also recognizing josh in the process. "good evening, i'll be your waiter for the night. what would— yo, dude! what's up, josh? we've missed you. what brings you back here?" the waiter does the typical guy handshake with the protector and then acknowledges tyler's presence. "oh, damn. are you on a date? you're getting back out there?"</p><p>to say that josh feels embarrassed is an understatement. "miles, this is my boyfriend. tyler, this is miles." he sighs into his hands to avoid watching miles' reaction. out of all the people who work on the restaurant, miles is probably the one who annoys him the most, in a good way.</p><p>"damn, boyfriend already? that's so cool. i'm proud of you, man," the waiter leans in to whisper in tyler's ear, "if he ever hurts you, just come here and i'll mess him up. i won't even hesitate."</p><p>"noted," tyler nods and his cheeks flush a shade of crimson red. he can't believe that the staff is being so nice to him. they really seem to adore josh, maybe they'll learn to adore him too. it seems like they're already getting there. the couple orders their drinks, a glass of wine for each, and their food as well.</p><p>once miles goes off to the kitchen, they're alone with nothing but the sound of other people's chatter as background noise. they're alone. right? somehow it doesn't feel like that. being surrounded by who knows how many people with high expectations for him is suffocating. one wrong move and he could be done for. obviously the staff want the best for josh. it's easy to say he's part of the family. who wouldn't want their family to be in safe hands? they're probably judging the keeper's every move now.</p><p>josh notices his boyfriend's distress. "baby, are you okay? you're shaking."</p><p>"mhm. m'just a bit nervous," tyler doesn't make eye contact with him. if he says what he's really thinking, josh could hate him. no one likes a partner that dislikes your friends. tyler doesn't dislike them though, he's too scared to make a mistake and have them banish him from josh's life.</p><p>"because of miles? it's okay. you don't have to worry about him. he likes to mess with me. he's always been that way."</p><p>"no... it's not just miles. i don't want them to hate me."</p><p>"hate you?" the protector doesn't get an answer to his question. before tyler can open his mouth to talk, two people come out of the kitchen and interrupt their conversation.</p><p>the two people look to be a bit over the age of 50. the woman has an apron on, her brown turning grey hair up in a bun to keep it off her face. meanwhile, the man has purely grey hair, a similar shade to his wife's, although he has no apron on. his time keeper is showing from the edge of his button up shirt with rolled up sleeves. "joshua! my boy, you're back!" the woman gives josh a hug and presses a kiss to the top of his head.</p><p>"sabrina! i didn't think you'd be working the kitchen still." the smile on josh's face for seeing his old friends again is in-describable. he seems truly at home here.</p><p>"oh stop it!" sabrina chuckles, "i'm only 54 years young, joshua. i won't leave that kitchen until death comes and drags me out of it with its disgusting claws."</p><p>"we thought you'd replaced us for another family, boy," the man finally talks, his kind eyes looking over to josh, "brina was having a crisis for a month."</p><p>"i'd never replace you. no lasagna in the city could be as good as yours." josh takes tyler's hand over the table, ready to introduce his boyfriend for the third time today. "sabrina, domenic, this is..."</p><p>he's cut off once again when domenic laughs and puts a hand on his shoulder. "miles already filled us in, joshua. you don't have to present your boyfriend to us," his gaze changes to tyler, "you have to pardon my son. miles is a good kid, but sometimes he can be a little..."</p><p>"talkative," sabrina chirps in.</p><p>"don't worry. it's okay. he wasn't a bother." the answer is genuine, but tyler feels like he's on thin ice.</p><p>both sabrina and domenic give him a warm smile. from the little clues the keeper has, he's pieced together that the restaurant is truly a family business. no wonder josh likes it so much. "i'm glad. your meal will be ready soon. if miles does end up bothering you, let me know and i'll have isabelle be your waitress instead," sabrina tells tyler before turning to talk to josh, "it's so nice to see you again, joshua. hopefully you visit us more often." she kisses the top of his head again and returns to the kitchen.</p><p>domenic shortly follows her, but not before saying one last thing to the couple. "i notice you're a keeper as well, boy. let me tell you something, this is a safe space for you from now on. whenever you need a place to stay, don't think twice about coming here. us keepers have to stay together."</p><p>it hasn't been even more than 3 minutes since he's met this man, and tyler's officially attached to him. "whoa... i...that's very kind of you, sir. thank you."</p><p>with this, domenic goes back to the kitchen. "now i really know why you like this place," tyler giggles, "i wouldn't have guessed miles was their son. how does he know i'm a keeper anyway?"</p><p>"not to throw him under the bus, but miles could've seen your time keeper, doll. he's one to gossip. i didn't believe he was their son the first time they told me either. it's like water and oil."</p><p>they laugh at the joke for a brief moment when the now famous miles brings them their wine. he seems to be calmer than he was when he left for the kitchen. as he serves the wine in the glasses, his sleeve rolls up just enough for tyler to see a time keeper. how many keepers work at this place? when domenic said this was a safe space for keepers, he clearly wasn't joking.</p><p>for the rest of the date, things go according to plan. their food is absolutely delicious, the lasagna <em>has</em> to be the best tyler's ever had, and the wine is great too. once again, it's easy to see why this place is so precious to josh. the keeper is looking forward to their next visit already.</p><p>as they finish eating, josh has told his boyfriend most of the story about how he found their new favorite spot. like he said before, he didn't mean to find it, it found him instead. over the years and many, many visits he grew to love the family running it. simple. "oh, and if you're shocked about miles being their son, wait until you hear that isabelle is his wife," he comments and proceeds to take a sip from his wine.</p><p>"what? really? she seems so...calm though." tyler is nearly done with his lasagna, his glass of wine empty and resting next to a glass of water.</p><p>"i know. they do make the perfect pair when you get to know them more. you know, opposites attract."</p><p>the wine must've started to get tyler tipsy because he can't stop giggling at whatever josh's saying. he's not one to be lightweight but he's be lying if he doesn't admit that he feels funny. how strong is this wine supposed to be? pushing that aside, tyler is enjoying this date a lot. the choice of restaurants, food and drink is the best combination of things they could've done.</p><p>josh pays the bill once they're full and prepared to go back home. he knows the date was a success, he can tell from tyler's sparkling eyes and full time keeper. they say goodbye to sabrina and domenic, as well as miles when he comes to collect their money, and are guided by isabelle to the front door. "thank you for the lovely night," tyler smiles at the hostess.</p><p>"no no. thank you for taking care of josh and keeping him in one piece," she smiles back at him. her presence is so warm and full of life. little by little tyler can see why she could compliment their waiter. "we hope you come back soon."</p><p>the protector joins the conversation with his arm around tyler to keep him stable and not fall. "we definitely will. goodnight, isabelle. it was nice to see you again."</p><p>"goodnight you two."</p><p>one could say this is the perfect end to the perfect night. the only thing that could make it even remotely better is...well, i think you know what it is. not even a second passes by when they get out of the restaurant when tyler says, "i think they liked me."</p><p>"honey, i'm pretty sure they loved you," josh kisses his temple and helps him into the car.</p><p>knowing that he caused a good first impression to josh's friends makes tyler very happy. he wants to know more about them, get to know them the way josh does. hopefully a few more lasagna can help him get there. for now all he can do is wait until his dear protector brings him back to the 'silly little italian place' one again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>h, thank you for letting me write about your amazing story and post it too, ilysm</p><p>idk what else to say, um read keeper and protector</p></blockquote></div></div>
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